Wake Me Up
by LadyAshh
Summary: "Maybe I'm just in love when you wake me up." What it this"? More Ed Sheeran? Just fluff, cause I noticed, I haven't written any fluff stories, so. One story, but each chapter can be treated as a one shot.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

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**A/N: All hail, it's time for a fic from my favourite Ed Sheeran song of all times, "Wake Me Up." Now, because clearly, I don't have five other fics to update or anything, but sometimes you gotta get other ideas out of your head before you can focus on others… each chapter in this fic can stand on its own, it's all one story, but each chapter can be treated as a one shot. So I hope you enjoy this and much as I enjoyed writing it. **

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**Chapter 1: Tattoos **

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He lightly traced his fingers over her bare rib cage, smiling into her hair as he remembered last night. Her back was pressed up against his front, not a space between either of them, their legs tangled together. She held one of his hands captive between hers, settled on her stomach, while his hands traced loving words and designs on her skin.

She sighed in content when he placed a kiss in her hair and buried his face there, inhaling her unique scent. Cherries and Kate, a scent he had longed to wake up to every morning for a long time and now, even after two years, he would never get used to it. He could never calm the beating of his heart, when she emerged from the bathroom, face wiped clear of all make up, her hair damp and cascading around her shoulders, usually dressed in his clothes.

It was the long days at work, he realized made her more prone to cuddling. Not that she wasn't a cuddler in general, but after going through stressful situations or long hours when they would find no leads, she would just need him a bit more, need to feel him, take comfort in his presence and he would let her, he had no complaints.

He traced his finger along her ribcage, over the small tattoo she had there. He was surprised when he first discovered it, it wasn't something he would imagine Kate for, but then again, she was a lot of things he had never imagined and that's what he loved about her. She always had him guessing, always surprised him with some new aspect of her just when he thought he knew everything about her.

She arched back into him and hummed, he smiled, loving the feel of her bare body pressed to his. The night before, he had surprised her with a full body massage, he knew how much she needed it after her long day at work. She came home sometime after 11, looking tired and stressed out and he always knew what she needed. So he prepared her dinner and led her back into their bedroom.

He sat her on the bed, holding her up as she was basically falling over, how tired she was. Her eyes fell shut when he started peeling her clothes off slowly. On other nights, this would lead to something else, but not tonight, that's not what she needed, she needed to relax and that's what he had planned for her. When he managed to get all her clothes off, he laid her on the bed and poured hot oil all over her body, he could see the beginnings of a smile on her face when she buried her face into the pillows, letting him work his magic on her.

He spent the next hour or so, slowly working out all the knots and tension in her body and he could tell she was almost asleep. When he finished, he let her stay for a while, the hot oil, now cooling soothing her sensed, before he lifted her up and took her to the shower. He stood her up under the hot water, stripping himself of his clothes and stepping in behind her. She instantly relaxed and placed all her weight against him, while he reached around her to grab her body wash.

He carefully washed the oil off her body, before moving to her hair, massaging her scalp as she rested back against his chest. He ran the water over her, watching as the soap trailed down her body, making sure she was clean and relaxed. He stepped out, pulling her into a big fluffy towel, drying her hair before laying her back in the bed, not bothering to dress her and pulling the covers over her. Quickly he climbed in behind her and wrapped his arms around her as she snuggled back against him. He held her tightly, breathing in her scent as her breathing evened out and she fell asleep.

He woke up about an hour ago and remained still, embracing her, letting her rest. She had the day off and he didn't want her to wake earlier than was necessary, so he stayed still, tracing patterns over her body. But now he knew she was awake as he felt her bring his hands up her lips, kissing his knuckles before rolling over in his arms to face him. She pressed a kiss to his chest and smiled.

"Thank you, for last night. I needed that." She whispered against him.

"That's what I'm here for, to give you what you need." He murmured in her hair.

"Why doves." He said, as he continued playing with the skin by her tattoo.

"What?" She asked, leaning back to look at him.

"Your tattoo, I never asked. Why did you choose doves?" He asked again.

She was quiet for a moment, "My mom," She spoke, "She loved doves."

He nodded. That was the only explanation he needed. He sensed the mood changing, to a solemn one and he didn't want today to be a solemn one, it was supposed to be fun.

"You should get another one." He said, joking.

"Of what?" She asked, playing along.

He pretended to think for a moment, wrapping his arm tighter around her.

"My name." He said.

"Seriously?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Seriously."

She pursed her lips, considering him for a moment. She knew he was joking, but truthfully, she had considered doing just that for some time now, but wasn't sure how he would take it.

"Only if you get one too." She said.

He looked at her, "Kate, I was joking."

"I know, but I'm not." She said.

He leaned back, "You'd really get a tattoo with my name?"

She nodded, "Why not?"

"And you want me to get one too?" He asked.

She nodded, biting her lip.

"But, what about when I get old and wrinkly, it's gonna look weird." He pouted.

"You're already old and wrinkly." She teased.

"You're mean." He frowned.

She leaned over, kissing away his pout, rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

"It doesn't matter, I'll still love you and all your wrinkly tattoos." She smiled against his lips.

"You really wanna do this?" He asked.

"We could look back at it as one of those couple, spontaneous moments, although this really isn't spontaneous since we're talking about it, but we can leave that part out of the story." She said, threading her fingers through his hair.

He watched her for a moment, thinking about it. A tattoo, she wanted them to get tattoos. He never had anything against tattoos and quite frankly, he found the fact that she had one hot, even though it was of birds.

"Okay." He agreed, before he could talk himself out of it.

"Really?" She asked, surprised.

"Sure, I mean, what can it hurt and – "He pressed a kiss on her forehead, "I'd do anything to make you happy."

She grinned, the smile he loved to see, when she was genuinely happy and he loved being the reason that smile was on her face.

He smoothed her hair back out of her face, "When do you wanna do it?"

She bit her lip and untangled herself from him, ignoring his protests.

"Right now, come on let's go." She said, standing up, not bothering to cover up.

He took this moment to rake his eyes appreciatively over her body, his body responding immediately to the sight before him. She rolled her eyes at his obvious distraction.

"Come on big boy, let's go do it now before you change your mind and then – "She leaned over on the bed, her face a few inches from his, "We can come back and celebrate." She winked and then sauntered away to find some clothes, leaving him staring after her.

He jumped up immediately, when what she had said registered in his brain and quickly got dressed. Within minutes they were sitting side by side at the tattoo parlour. He reached out to her, silently asking for her hand.

She laughed at slipped her hands into his, he was such a big baby, being afraid of needles.

"Ready?" The tattoo artist asked, rolling over in her chair towards Castle with her needle in hand.

He looked over at Kate, who had her tattoo started already and she didn't even flinch. She nodded supportively and grinned at him. He turned back to the artist and nodded.

"It's now or never." He sighed.

He shut his eyes as he felt the needle pierce his skin and he thanked Kate for having a four letter name.

"All done." The lady said after a while.

He opened one eye and noticed Kate facing him in her chair, her feet curled up underneath her, her hand in her chin and a huge smile on her face.

"How is it?" She asked.

He looked down at his side where his new tattoo was and nodded in approval, "Perfect, yours?"

She lifted her shirt to show him.

He smiled, glad she had talked him into this, it wasn't that bad and now they always had a piece of each other with them where ever they were.

He looked back down at his own tattoo as Kate came out of her chair and stepped over to him, standing in between his legs and wrapping her arms loosely around his neck.

"Was it so bad?" She asked him.

He shook his head, "Not at all, I'm glad we did this." He smiled up at her.

She returned his smile and leaned down to kiss him softly, playing with the edge of his hair by his neck.

"Maybe next time, we can get matching piercings." She said, quickly covering his exclamation with another kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

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**A/N: Now, writing fanfiction is something I found that I finally actually like to do and *most* people like what I put out, so I'll continue doing what I do, despite who wants to say whatever negative they please. Seeing your reviews in my inbox makes me a happy camper… and then opening that to see some negative comment is.. well.. discouraging, but for once, there's something in my life I don't want to give up doing, so I will just ignore them.**

**2nd, idk if this happens for everyone, but I know there's a bunch of people waiting on updates for my other fics and I'll do my best to update them, but I can only update them when I'm in the mood for that particular story and right now I feel for fluff and short chapter, so that's what I will update, although I just posted this story today.**

**3rd, that castle episode, Idk why people didn't like it, I loved it, kept me laughing and got me out of my bad mood, I absolutely loved it and I am re-watching it again as we speak, laughing my head off at Lanie's 70's outfit and this guy hitting on her. **

**4th, this A/N is longer than I intended it to be, I kind of went off on a rant, so sorry about that. Now here's the story, if you like it tell me, if you don't, I don't care, keep it to yourself, thanks.**

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**Chapter 2:Will You?**

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He waited for her, where they agreed to meet. A place that held meaning for them, a place where decisions were made and secrets were told. This was the perfect place for what he had planned and he knew she didn't expect it.

He had been planning this for months, going through all the appropriate people to get to this decision. Everyone was happy and they all wanted to be there for this, but he wanted this to be private, to be intimate. He wanted this to be their moment.

He sat on the swings, pushing himself back and forth slowly, waiting for her. His hands clasped in front of him, twisting nervously. He had no idea what she would say, or if this was what she wanted. According to Lanie, it was definitely what she wanted, but he couldn't be sure if it was really what Kate wanted or what Lanie wanted. Either way, he was here, he was doing this and he would accept whatever the outcome.

It was bright out today. The sun was shining bright in the sky, not a cloud in sight, just the sun in all its glory, filling the light blue sky with light. He thought of how the sun reflected off of her hair, making her highlights standout. He loved her hair, it was in the top ten list of things he loved about her. He loved running his fingers through it, after making love or whenever they just craved the contact of each other and she would curl herself up in his arms, seeking out his warmth and comfort.

The park was filled with life, little children running around, having the times of their lives, while worried parents would look on, ready to act if their little ones got injured. He smiled, remembering when he was just like that with Alexis, only he never sat, he remained by her side everywhere he went. Once he even tried to follow her into one of the tubes. He wondered idly about when he would get that experience again, with Kate. He wondered what type of mother she would be, the type to follow behind their child, ensuring not a bruise grazed their skin or maybe the type, like all these parents who sat forward, ready to act at any sign of danger, or the type that would let their child experience what they needed to, in order to learn. He didn't know, but he really wanted to and maybe this was the first step to finding out.

His attention was drawn away from a pair of twins wrestling each other in the sandbox, to the love of his life exiting her car and making her way over to him, with a huge grin on her face. He watched her as she walked over to him, sometimes he wondered if she knew the world wasn't a runway and if she knew what she did to him, just by the way she walked.

His eyes went up to her face, radiant and glowing and he took pride in knowing he was part of the reason she was so happy now, happier than she used to be, if not all. Her hair flowed around her face, bouncing with every step she took, glowing in the light and blowing in the breeze.

She was wearing skinnies and boots, with a light blue V-neck, allowing just enough skin to show, that would guarantee a reaction from him, but not enough to look like she was trying too hard. With him, she didn't have to, she could dress in a clown suit and he would still want to make love to her. She just had that effect on him, the way no other woman ever had.

He knew as she sat down in the swings beside him and her scent hit him. The scent of cherries that he forever associated with Kate, assaulted his nose and he fought the desire to pull her against him and breathe her in. He could do that later, now he had something else to do, something big.

"Hey." She smiled.

Her voice. From the beginning, her voice had the power to make him do anything she wanted. Her voice was like honey, so smooth, yet raspy and raw when she needed it to be, when she wanted Castle to love her. Understanding when she was talking to victims' families and deadly when she was interrogating suspects. Her voice, just like her, had many dimensions and he never tired of either. He could listen to her talk all day and he would be happy. She just made him happy and he hoped she felt the same.

"Hey." He said back.

"Where's the food?" She asked looking around.

He had called her, telling her to come to the park for a picnic. It was cliché, but something they had never done before and they were all for doing things they hadn't done before, so he knew she'd go for it. She didn't have to go to work that day, but he told her he had meetings with Black Pawn, so he would be gone for the first half of the day. She was disappointed, as she didn't get days off very often and she wanted to spend it with him.

He spent the day of course, talking to all of her close friends and family and planning the day, what he would say. He still didn't know what he would say and he was usually so good with words. But with her, sometimes he just couldn't find the words to express himself and he settled for actions.

"There's no food." He said, looking over at her confused expression.

"So why –"She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He took in her face, even when she was confused and looking slightly irritated with him, she was still so breathtakingly beautiful. The sun behind her, shone around her face, taking his breath away and he had to look away to get control of his thoughts.

"Castle?" She called, waiting for an explanation.

He took a deep breath, "Kate, I love you." He started.

She smiled, "I love you too."

"I've loved you for a while now, I've wanted you from the beginning, but then slowly, as we worked side by side, with each glare you gave me, each threat, I wanted you more and more and then I realized, it wasn't want or lust anymore, it was love."

Her eyes were shining now, with love and tears threatening to fall.

"Kate, you've changed me in more ways than I can count. You made me want to be a better man, for you, to prove myself worthy of even loving you. You made me a better man, a better father and a better son." He continued, sliding off of the swing and lowering himself to his knee in front of her. He reached in this pocket and pulled out a box, opening, exposing a diamond ring to her.

She brought her hand to her mouth as the tears fell down her cheeks.

"Castle," She breathed.

"Kate, you are my inspiration, my rock, my lifeline, the love of my life. I don't know if I can imagine my life without you, I don't even want to try. So Kate." He paused as she let out a breathy laugh, he held out his hand and she immediately slipped her hand into his.

"Will you, do me the honour, of marrying me?" He asked, looking into her eyes.

His heart was racing in his chest, waiting on her answer. It felt like an eternity he spent down on his knee, exposed to the stares of various onlookers.

After what seemed like forever, she nodded, unable to speak. Her face lit up as she laughed and nodded. He rose to his feet as she stood, coming to stand in front of him.

"That's a yes?" He asked, feeling the tears rise in his own eyes.

She nodded again, "Yes. Yes Castle, I will marry you." She said, her breath shaky.

She drew in a sharp breath and he slid the ring onto her finger, where it would remain until they officially tied the knot.

"Wow, Castle, it's beautiful." She breathed, holding the ring out in the sun, watching as the light reflected off of the diamonds the lined the band.

It wasn't too big, or too small, it was just perfect for both of them. A diamond set in the middle of a silver band, lined with smaller diamonds, which reflected the light in many different colours. A beautiful ring, for a beautiful woman.

She launched herself into his arms, pressing her lips against his, pouring out all of her love into the kiss and what he received her returned. He wrapped an arm around her back and lifted her off her feet as she laughed against his lips.

She leaned back slightly, keeping their bodies pressed up against each other's and their lips only inches apart.

"I love you." She whispered, her voice thick with emotion and the tears still rolling down her face.

He reached up and wiped away a tear with his thumb, kissing her cheek lightly.

"I love you too." He returned and he kissed her again, holding her tightly to him as her fingers threaded through his hair, her fingernails lightly scratching his scalp.

He pulled away again, feeling dizzy and needing oxygen. He looked at her, feeling overwhelmed by all the love he held for her and all the love she returned. She looked so happy and he would do anything to keep her looking this way, with that beautiful smile of hers and her eyes sparkling as they were now.

"We're gonna get married." She laughed, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"We are." He said, hugging her tightly.

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**End A/N: Writing this fic just makes me really happy okay? Even if some aspects feel a bit OOC to you, it's fanfiction … Don't take it so seriously. But on a lighter note, I hope you liked this chapter! I do! :D Leave me a review yea? Thanks! **

**PS. Sorry for any mistakes, I don't read over and tend to mix up "he" and "she" quite often so I've noticed… So, sorry about that. **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

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**A/N: Thanks to all of you who read this and reviewed, I'm glad you like it. And because I felt for more fluff, here's another chapter. **

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**Chapter 3: Bubbles**

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He watched her as she filled out paper work at the end of another long, stressful day. This case had hit a nerve for her and had turned out to be highly frustrating. It had been a week since they got the call and a week of dead ends and no leads and her patience had been wearing thin. Thankfully, they got a call today, with a witness to the murder, who finally decided to speak out and so they were able to make their arrest, now all they had left to do was paperwork and he _hated _sticking around for that, but for Kate, he would.

He could tell she was still frustrated, still stressed and basically running on E. She had gotten barely any sleep and refused to stop to get any good amount of food into her system despite Castle's best efforts. Sometimes, he learned, it was best to just let her be, she would come around when it was finished.

But now it was finished and she hadn't said a word to him, she had been snapping at him over the past week, he knew though, that she didn't mean it. It was a little after seven and Gates had ordered them to take the weekend off, but naturally Kate decided to stay and fill out the large amount of paperwork this case required.

He could tell by the way her jaw was set, and her lips pressed into a thin line, how her eyebrows knitted together and her forehead crease and by how she was gripping her pen a little too tightly that it was time for her to go home. She was quiet, but he could feel the weariness radiating from her and he didn't care if she would snap at him, or yell at him, he just knew he needed to get her out of hair, get some food in her and get her to bed, or she would crash very soon.

So she stood from his chair and placed a hand on her back, trying to get her attention without startling her too much. She stopped writing when he touched her, but didn't look up at him, nor did her facial expression change.

"Kate, come on, this can wait." He said quietly, in the already quiet precinct.

She started to write again, "Castle, I told you, I'm fine, let me just finish this and we can leave." She said, sounding as if she was trying to snap at him.

She really didn't mean it, he knew, but with the high stress level and the lack of everything good for her, she was buckling under it all and he would carry her kicking and screaming out of the precinct if it came to that. He had to care for her if she didn't want to care for herself.

"No, Kate. It can wait." He said, sounding more authoritative and serious than usual. It was enough to get her attention and have her tilt her head up to look at him.

"You've been running yourself dry all week Kate, when was the last time you even ate?" He asked, challenging her.

She opened her mouth, trying to find the answer, but then she closed it when she realized she can't remember having anything but coffee and granola bars Castle forced her to eat over the past few days. Had she really gone so long without eating?

"Or even gotten a full night's rest?" He continued.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. It was true, this case had consumed her and she couldn't sleep. Every time she tried, the frustrating fact that they were getting nowhere with this case got her out of bed and in front of Castle's digital murder board trying to solve the case. Castle of course would wake up and find her side of the bed cold and empty.

"The paperwork can wait Kate, you have to take care of yourself sometimes." He said, giving her a small smile.

She slumped her shoulders and sighed, looking over the pile she still had to do. She hated to start and then stop right in the middle, but Castle was right, she couldn't do this to herself and with one look at him, she could tell it was affecting him too. So she covered her pen and accepted his hand, standing up. He helped her into his jacket, not even trying to hide the satisfying grin he had on his face.

"Okay Castle, you're right. Let's go home." She said, grabbing her bag and looping her free arm through his.

She was just beginning to realize how tired she was, how heavy both her legs and eyelids felt, she was surprised she made it to the elevator without falling over, let alone through the week. Castle really did know her better than she knew herself sometimes.

She let him lead her into the elevator and relaxed against him, letting her eyes drift shut until the elevator doors opened revealing the parking garage.

"Keys?" Castle asked, knowing she was in no state to drive, she handed them over to him.

He half carried her through the garage, finding her car and easing her inside. She let her head fall back against the rest and instantly, she was asleep.

She felt him gently waking her sometime after and she struggled to open her eyes. They had apparently reached the loft and Castle was at her side, helping her out of the car and up to his home. She was looking forward to just falling into their bed and sleeping for an entire day, God knows that's exactly what she needed to do right now. The need to sleep, over powering the need for food. She knew, however, Castle would fulfil both needs and that had a small smile making its way to her face.

He opened his door and she stumbled forward, feeling his hand on her waist, steadying her as he turned to lock the door. He hesitated for a moment before ducking down and sweeping her feet from under her, lifting her up into his arms and walking her to the couch, laying her down gently. She didn't have enough energy to protest, nor did she want to, she just wanted to sleep.

She felt him press a kiss to her forehead, mumbling something about food. She must have dozed off again, because she was awoken to the smell of food, making her stomach come alive. Her eyes flew open, just as Castle knelt down in front of her with a plate full of Chinese takeout.

"You can feed yourself or I feed you, but you have to eat." He said.

In her sleepy state, she managed to sit up and take the plate from him. He smiled in satisfaction as he watched her pretty much inhale all the food on the plate, before setting it down on the table in front of her. She would feel embarrassed for eating like she hadn't eaten in too long, but she hadn't and she had gone way pass ever feeling embarrassed for anything in front of him. He loved her, no matter what she did and she was forever grateful for that, for not making her feel like she had to hide any part of her for fear of judgement.

She let her eyes slip closed when she felt him picking her up again. He made his way to the bathroom where he had run a hot bath for her while she had dozed off on the couch. He had lit a handful of candles, which filled the room with the soothing scent of Vanilla and coconut he knew she so loved and dimmed the lights, so that the candles illuminated the room, in a soft, relaxing glow.

He sat her on the counter and quickly unbuttoned her shirt, sliding it off of her shoulders and tossed it in the laundry basket. Next, he eased of her pants and shoes, before removing her underwear. He once again lifted her and set her down in the tub, quickly removing his own clothes and climbing in behind her, pulling her against his body, so her head rested in his shoulder.

He reached for the bubble bath he knew she sometimes used, specifically after long days at work or when she was upset and just needed to relax. He filled the water with the bubbles and got to work gently massaging her shoulders and working his way down to her back.

He kissed the skin that was above the water, kissing every inch that he could find. He smiled against her skin when he felt her body vibrate as she hummed sleepily in content. She ran her hands over his thigh as he continued kissing down her neck and massaging her shoulders.

"What would I do without you?" She whispered, her eyes closed.

"I'm not so sure." He responded, nibbling lightly on the skin under her ear.

He felt her hand snake further up his thigh and he felt himself coming alive with her touch and he bit down a little bit harder on her neck, sucking the skin into his mouth as his hands made their way around to her front, continuing to massage her tense muscles.

"Thank you." She whispered, turning slightly and curling into him, "For taking care of me."

She turned her head and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"For protecting me."

She kissed his nose.

"For loving me."

She turned her body and pressed her lips to his, softly.

His arms wrapped around her body, pulling her to him as much as he could without making her uncomfortable, returning the kiss urgently.

She pulled away from him, her eyes closed and a smile on her face.

"Now take me to bed."

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**End A/N: Sleep bed not sex bed, you naughty readers you ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

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**A/N: If I planned correctly, this is chapter 4/13. Enjoy. **

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**Chapter 4: Look At The Stars**

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He entered the loft to find her leaning by the large window in his living room, staring out at the snow covered streets of New York. He shrugged off his jacket, removed his scarf and gloves. He tossed his luggage to one side and locked the door behind him. He slowly walked over to her, he knew she knew he was there, but she remained focused on the scenery out the window.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. The scene was beautiful, but not as beautiful as she was. He pressed a tender kiss to her temple and he felt her relax against him, a smile blooming across her face.

"You're home." She smiled.

"Couldn't stand being away from you anymore." He responded, speaking into her hair.

She covered his hands with her own and locked their fingers together and he began to play with the engagement ring that she wore on her finger. They were getting closer to their wedding and he couldn't wait to trade out the engagement ring on her finger for the real thing, the actual wedding band and make it all official.

"That was the longest week of my life." She whispered.

He had been on a weeklong tour for the coming of his new, it should have been longer, but he couldn't stand being away from her for so long, he made a deal with Paula to cut it short. There was no where he'd rather be right now, than in New York City, with his arms wrapped around his fiancé, sharing his warmth.

"The first of many unfortunately." He said.

She sighed and turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest, breathing him in.

"I've missed you." She mumbles against his shirt.

"I've missed you too." He answers.

They stand there for a moment, allowing themselves to absorb the heat and love from each other that they so desperately missed this past week.

"Where's my mom and Alexis?" He asked, finally noticing the lack of a welcome home party in his living room.

"Martha had an emergency at her acting studio, Alexis went to a sleepover." She informed him.

He nodded, glad for the night alone with her. He had missed the rest of his family of course, but Kate, he just really wanted to be alone with her right now.

"Well, how about some hot chocolate?" He suggested.

She laughed, "Sure."

She unwrapped her arms from his middle and looped her arms through his as he led them from the window to his kitchen. He quickly took note of what she was wearing, yoga pants, a white T-Shirt and bare feet. The loft was heated, but even he still felt a little cold, but maybe that's because he was just outside in the snow and she was not.

"Aren't you cold?" He couldn't help but to ask.

She shook her head, "No and if I was, I know you'd heat me right up." She, her voice dropping an octave as she gave him a suggestive wink.

"It wouldn't be right of me to know you were cold and not do anything about it." He said, putting the milk on the stove and moving to get their mugs.

She leaned against the counter, watching him move around the kitchen, with an easy smile on her face and her arms folded across her chest.

"See something you like?" He asked, looking over at her.

She didn't look away, she had every right to stare at him all she want and after not seeing him for a week, that's exactly what she was going to do, but first….

She unfolded her arms and pushed her body up off of the counter, making her way over to him. He was watching her carefully as she took the mugs from his hand and rested them on the counter. She placed her hand in his cheek and stood up on her toes, pressing her lips to his softly, lovingly. The kiss changed course when he gripped her hips and her hands moved to tangle in his hair. She smiled as a soft moan vibrated through him and she pushed herself against him even more.

It had only been a week since they had kissed, but it had been a week too long and she missed him, the feel of him, the taste of him, the feel of his rough, but gentle hands caressing her body. The thought of him touching her, only made her crave him more and she wondered if they were even going to have time for hot chocolate, the way his hands were moving up underneath her shirt, sending shivers through her body.

At the moment, the kettle whistled and they broke apart, startled by the noise. She eased back, resting her head against his, breathing heavily, her face flushed and lips red from their kissed and she couldn't wait for the rest of their night.

"Welcome home." She whispered against him, pressing a light kiss to his lips, before pulling away, letting him tend to the hot chocolate.

"If that's the welcome home I get, maybe I should go away more often." He said, sounding a bit lightheaded.

Good. She loved having that effect on him, the same effect he had on her.

She rolled her eyes and smacked him in the chest.

"If you stay, you get a lot more." She said, her voice husky and smoky.

He stared at her for a moment, before she laughed, telling him to get back to their drinks.

"Right, drinks, hot chocolate. Right." He mumbled, pouring the milk and the chocolate into their mugs, adding his usual cream and cinnamon.

He rummaged around in his pantry before emerging with a bag of marshmallows and going over to his fridge for the whipped cream and hot fudge, topping each of their mugs.

He handed her mug to her and gestured to the living room. At that moment, the light shut off leaving the place in darkness. They both stood still for a moment, letting their eyes adjust to the dark before looking over at each other.

"What perfect timing." She mumbled.

He smiled, "I have an idea." He said with a gleam in his eye.

She raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what crazy idea he could possibly have now.

He placed his mug on the table and made his way to his bedroom. She could hear him running into things and she couldn't help the smile that crept on to her face as she thought of all the "boo boos" he'd make her "kiss it better", not that she minded. She definitely did not.

He appeared in the doorway with his hands full of blankets, sheets and pillows and cocked her head to the side, raising a questioning eyebrow at him.

He set down the pile on the couch and grinned at her.

"We're gonna build a fort!" He said, sounding too excited, for a man with a grown daughter.

"Seriously?" She asked, taking a sip of her chocolate.

How she missed this, Castle making hot chocolate or coffee for her. She'd do it herself, but it never tasted the same.

"Seriously." He said, spreading out blankets onto the floor for the base of their fort.

She stood where she was, watching him as she sipped her chocolate, before he looked over at her.

"Aren't you gonna help?" He asked.

"I was enjoying the view." She smirked and placed her now empty mug down on the counter and moved to help him.

In no time, they had covered the entire living room with sheets and blankets and the lack of heat began to take its effect on her.

"You cold?" He asked for the second time that night.

"The heat's gone." She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Well let's get you warm then." He smiled and reached out to her.

She went to him instantly, laughing as he pulled her into the fort, settling down on the pile of sheets and pillows he had supplied them with.

She snuggled close to his side and he instantly wrapped his arm around her, and pulled a blanket over her to keep her warm.

"This is nice." She said after a while.

"Yea, yea it is." He responded, content to have this beautiful woman, cuddled against his side.

"Wait, I forgot something." He said, plugging his phone into the small projector he had carried under there.

Instantly the "ceiling" of their fort was illuminated with a star filled night sky.

"Look at the stars, look how they shine for you and all the things you do…" He started to sing.

"Wow Castle, that's... that's beautiful." She said in awe as she stared up at his makeshift sky.

"Like you." He murmured, looking down at her.

She looked up at him and grinned, rolling her body so that she now lay on top of him.

"Yea?" She breathed, her face inches away from his.

"Definitely." He said as she closed the distance, kissing him sensually.

He kept the kiss simple and soft, not wanting to take it further just right now, right now he just wanted to cuddle. There would be plenty time for other things later.

She leaned back and he was struck with the beauty that was Kate Beckett. She was smiling down at him, her eyes twinkling as she rested her head against his chest.

"You know your eyes turn green when you're happy?" He spoke.

She raised her head, giving him view of those beautiful eyes again.

"What?" She asked.

"I've noticed, when you're happy, your eyes, they get lighter and it's one of the most beautiful things about you." He told her, running his fingers lightly through her hair.

She grins and lets her head fall to his chest as a blush creeps up to her cheeks.

"No really, I love your eyes. They're deep and mysterious and just you." He said softly.

She looked at him again, noticing the sincerity in his eyes and she stroked his cheek with her thumb, smiling.

"You're amazing you know that?"

"I don't think you have ever mentioned that to me." He jokes.

"Well you are and I love you." She says seriously.

He tightens his arms around her, "I love you too." He kisses her.

"Your skin, oh yea your skin and bones, turn into something beautiful…" He sings again.

"You know, you know I love you so." She finishes, leaning down to kiss him again.

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**End A/N: 9 more chapters to go Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for reviewing. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

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**Chapter 5: Your Hair**

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He had always loved her hair from the very beginning. When he first saw her, her hair was cut short, it was almost boyish, but it worked for her. Everything worked for her. Then as the years went by, she grew it out, every inch of her hair, only making her more beautiful as the days went by and he was enchanted by her and her beautiful hair.

Not only did it grow, but it also got light and lighter. It moved from dark brown, to a light, chestnut colour with streaks of gold that would stand out in the sunlight and absolutely hypnotise him. It was one of her little things that made him fall in love with her. She, like her hair, grew with each year and got lighter and lighter.

Now, as he sat up in bed, waiting for her to wake, he gently ran his fingers through her hair that had fanned out on the pillow beneath her head. His nails lightly scratched her scalp in a manner that he knew she loved, that always sent her off to sleep.

He was staring down at her, watching the rise and fall of her chest underneath his stolen white T-Shirt, which was falling off of her slender frame. The tiny smile that formed at the corner of her mouth letting him know she was having some happy dream.

He continued running his hand through her hair until she stirred, sighing deeply before she turned towards him. She rested her chin on his chest and smiled up at him, closing her eyes as he continued his movements, running his fingers through her hair, lightly scratching the spot beneath her ear and then moving down to her neck and back up.

"Morning." She smiled, kissing his bare chest.

"Morning." He murmured.

He would never get used to waking up to Kate Beckett in his bed or in his clothes. Even though they were engaged now, he still had difficulty wrapping his head around the thought.

"Why'd you stop?" Her voice brought him out of his thoughts.

He looked down at her and she was looking up at him with those beautiful eyes of hers, which had not yet been framed with make-up. He loved this look on her best.

"Stop what?" He asked.

She reached up and covered the hand that had stilled in her hair, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh. Sorry, was just daydreaming." He said softly and began running his fingers through her hair again.

Her eyes fell shut as she let out a contented sigh, "What about?"

He leaned his head back against the bedhead, "You."

"Me? What about me?"

"I just can't believe I really have you." He told her, "I can't believe this is actually real."

She placed a hand lightly on his chest, rubbing the skin lightly with her thumb, "I can't believe I have you either, you're so much more than I deserve."

He shook his head, "No, you deserve everything you could ever want Kate. You deserve the moon and the stars and I am so honoured that I am the one you chose to want. I just can't wrap my head around this, that we're finally together and engaged. Every morning when I wake up with you in my arms it's like, I'm in the best dream ever."

She dropped her face against his chest, he could feel the smile on her face and the blush rise up in her cheeks.

"I'm serious Kate, you're amazing and I just can't believe you're mine." He said gazing at her with eyes full of intense love.

"Well I'm here and I am yours and you are mine and I'll be happy to remind you each time and this – " She said, rising up and moving up his body, so her face was inches away from his, "Is definitely not a dream." She finished, pressing her lips to his.

His hand instantly tangled in her hair, pulling her to him as he angled her head and deepened the kiss. Her head was spinning as his tongue traced the seam of her lips and she opened them for him, allowing him to taste her and tasting him.

He loved this, the domesticity of waking up every morning in each other's arms and the intimacy of a good morning kiss and the way it usually lead more.

He pulled back, not wanting to separate himself from her, but needing to breathe. He kept his eyes closed as he felt her breath ghost over his face before she buried her head in his neck and laughed.

Her body shook his with her laughter and he couldn't help but join in her laughter, although he didn't know why she was laughing.

"What's so funny?" He asked when their laughter had died down.

"I'm just happy." She told him, a huge smile on her face and it was like the beginning all over again.

The way they were when they first got together, how she would tell him every day how happy he made her, how happy she was. She still told him, but not as much as he used to, because now he would just look at her and know. It was in the way she looked at him, smiled at him, hugged him, kissed him, even yelled at him, it was all there and it was the same for him.

He was never one for hiding his emotions, especially for her. He wore his heart on his sleeve for her and she never had to question whether he loved her or not. The whole world knew he loved her, even before she admitted it to herself, or even before she knew it.

She moved closer to him, wrapping herself in his arms and his heat and never ending love. He resumed playing in her hair and she was just about to drift off to sleep again when he spoke.

"Why'd you cut it?" He asked softly.

"What?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Your hair, when I first met you, it was short, but I know it was longer before, from all your older pictures." He told her, wrapping a lock around his finger.

She was quiet for a while and he wondered if he asked a question she didn't want to answer, but then she sighed and spoke.

"When I first joined the force, it was all big tough men and the few girls that were there, well they were big and less feminine." She started, "And I know I can hold my own, but at that time in my life, I was young and impressionable and I just wanted to fit in. I'm a small girl, I'm sure you can tell. I just wanted to feel less, girly, cause I was the only one there with long hair, so one night I just took a pair of scissors and chopped it off."

She felt his body move as he chuckled and she rose up to glare at him, "Why are you laughing?"

"I'm just imagining you cutting your hair." He laughed.

"Why is that funny?" She grabbed his ear, ready to give it a twist.

"Cause you don't exactly have the patience for hair cutting." He laughed again.

"It's not like I was cutting it in any style you know, I just wanted it off." She rolled her eyes.

"Still, I find that funny. You probably glared at that scissors to make sure it didn't mess up."

She scoffed and slapped his chest, "Speaking of which, it needs a cut now." She said, bringing her hair in front of her, examining it.

"No!"

She looked through her hair at him, raising an eyebrow, "What? Why?" She asked, brushing her hair back.

He shrugged, "I love your hair this length." He said simply.

"It's just the ends Castle, I'm not cutting it off again." She told him.

He buried his hand in her hair and looked at her, "Can I do it?"

"There is no way I'm letting you near my hair with scissors Castle." She said flatly.

She instantly changed her mind when he pouted and although she could deal with hardened criminals, she somehow couldn't reject him when he pouted like that. She reached out and smoothed her thumb across his lips, kissing him softly.

"Okay fine." She said, "But just the ends Castle!"

He grinned, his eyes twinkling as he threw off the covers and dragged her out of the bed, leading her to the bathroom.

"I promise, it'll be fine, I cut Alexis' hair all the time." He assured her, sitting her on a stool in front of the large mirror, pulling out a pair of scissors and a brush and a comb.

"Just the ends!" She told him again.

"I know! I know! Now stay still!" He placed his hands on her shoulders, keeping her still.

She watched herself in the mirror as Castle got to work, expertly cutting the ends of her hair.

He wasn't doing so badly and it wasn't a noticeable length he had cut off, just her damaged ends that needed to go. She might just come back next time around.

"Well?" He asked when he finally finished.

She looked up at him and he was beaming down at her, waiting for her response.

She stood and leaned over the counter, examining it, keeping him in the dark for a bit longer, and then she turned to him.

"It's not bad." She said, keeping her face blank.

His face fell just a bit and she laughed and stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"It's good Castle, I swear." He pressed a kiss to his lips, "Maybe next time, we can braid each other's hair."

"Just say the word detective." He grinned, leaning down to kiss her again and of course, his fingers found their home, tangled in her hair.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

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**Chapter 6: Midnight Snacks.**

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When he wakes, she's not there. He reaches out, expecting her warm body under his hands, but he's met with the cool, empty sheets. He sits up, stretching his hands over his head, looking around the dark room for any sign of her. He checks the clock by his bed, 3:17am, where could she be?

He throws off the covers and pulls his boxers on, then he drops his feet to the floor, feeling the cold wood against his bare feet before he quickly slips on his slippers, he stands and makes his way out of the bedroom.

He finds her in the kitchen, with his shirt draped around her shoulders, with the fridge open, staring blankly into it. He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulders. She didn't startle, she had gotten used to him trying to sneak up on her, she should know by now anyways that he would always be behind him.

The shirt wasn't buttoned so he ran his hands over her bare skin, kneading the skin by her hips, before dropping a sweet kiss against her neck. She relaxed back into him as he continued kissing up and down her neck. She let her eyes flutter closed as a sigh fell from her lips.

"Why are you awake?" He murmured against her skin, the cool air making her shiver.

She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest, over his heart.

"I got hungry." She told him.

"At three in the morning?" He speaks into her hair, reaching out and closing the fridge.

He felt her shrug in his arms, "The stomach wants what the stomach wants."

He nodded, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"And what does that stomach want?" He asks.

She shrugs again, "That's what I've been asking it, but it won't tell me."

He laughed, easing away from her, running his hands down her arms. He dropped a kiss to her forehead before letting her go and moving around the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" She asks, watching him gather ingredients.

"Pancakes, you can never go wrong with pancakes." He told her, placing the griddle on the stove and turning it on. He poured the rest of the ingredients into a bowl and started mixing them.

Her eyes never left his body as he moved about. He wasn't wearing a shirt, just his boxers, so her eyes raked appreciatively over his body, over the defined planes of his chest, over his bulging biceps, which she never understood because he never worked out, but it worked for her, so she didn't question it.

She found herself moving towards him, wrapping her arms around him as he poured the mixture onto the hot surface. Her hands trailed up and down his chest, her nails raking over his skin lightly, in a way she knew always made him shudder.

She pressed open mouthed kisses to him bare back, feeling him shudder underneath her. She waited until he flipped the pancakes, before grabbing his elbow and turning him around. She was looking up at him with those hooded eyes and he knew, she wasn't hungry for pancakes anymore. She walked backwards to the edge of the counter, pulling him with her, staring at him with hungry, dark eyes.

She bit down on her lip and he groaned, always powerless to resist her when she was looking at him like this, while biting her lip. He ducked his head and covered her lips with his, keeping this kiss gentle, before her hands buried themselves in his hair, grabbing fistfuls and tugging him closer.

His hand wrapped around her waist and he lifted her to sit on the counter and stepped in between her legs. He angled his head, deepening the kiss, his heart was racing in his chest and her fingers grazed his chest and her other hand holding him firmly to her. Her tongue traced the seam of his lips, taking the chance when he gasped to plunge inside, seeking him out.

He tugged her closer to him, feeling ready for another round, right here on the counter and apparently so was she. Soft noises were rising up within her and spilling from her lips into his mouth, noises that he only associated with bedroom Kate, noises that turned his knees to jelly.

She removed her hand from his chest and wrapped both her arms around his neck, breathing deeply as he trailed wet, open mouthed kissing down her throat, leaving her panting heavily and writhing under his touch.

He trailed his hands up her sides, under her shirt, pausing beneath her breast, smoothing his thumb over her ribs, before travelling up to her shoulders and sliding his shirt off of her, pressing kissing to her collar bone, down to his shoulder.

The shrill sound of a smoke detector had them jumping apart, eyes wide, breathing heavily and completely aroused. He looked around the room, while Kate drew his shirt back over her shoulders, buttoning one button and sliding off of the counter on wobbly legs.

Castle finally remembered that he had something on the stove, where the smoke was now rising from. He quickly shut off the stove, while Kate climbed up on a stool to quiet the detector. He scraped the burnt offerings off of the griddle into the bin and placed it in the sink, turning the water on on it.

He coughed and fanned the smoke away from his face, turning on the vent above the stove, he turned to Kate, who looked a bit disoriented as she stared at him.

"Forgot about that." He said.

She nodded slowly, "Who could blame you?" She spoke, her voice still low and he could tell, she was still aroused as was he and he wanted to do nothing more than rip that shirt off of her and make love to her right now, but she was hungry, that's what they were her for.

He shook his head and gestured to the stove, "I can make you another batch, let me just – "He started, stopping short when she came over, running her hands up and down his chest. His breathing hitched and he looked down at her.

Her hair wild, lips red and eyes wide with arousal, he couldn't help but feel the wave that washed over him and he got the feeling, they weren't going to be having pancakes anymore.

"I think I know what I'm hungry for." She purred, biting her lip seductively.

"Wh – what's that?" He stuttered, always rendered speechless by her.

"I think you know." She growled and lunged after him, attaching her lips to his, hands impatient and she rid them both of their clothes, switching places, so that she was pressed up against the counter once again.

With her eyes, she told him just what she wanted and he could never deny Kate anything, not when she looked like this, not when she was looking at him like this. He lifted her and deposited her on the counter, touching her, kissing her, just how she liked it, making love to her, roughly and impatiently. They had all the time in the world for slow and gentle, but that's not what they hungered for at this moment.

As they lay on the couch, where he had carried her after he regained the use of his legs, she traced designs over his sweaty chest and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, smiling in content, feeling completely satisfied and overwhelmingly happy. If this was her idea of a midnight snack, well, she could wake him up every time.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: HAPPY FREAKING CASKETT GETS MARRIED TODAY MONDAY! Some of you have prolly seen it already, but I haven't, I have 54 minutes left, so in order to stay off of twitter and tumblr, I turned to fanfic, so a chapter was born. I hope you like it. Idk when I'll update again, because I mean … I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this episode. Anyways! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7: Coffee means Ily**

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She sat on the edge of the bed, two cups of fresh coffee in her hands, she placed them on the table and watched him, a small smile forming on her face. She reached over and threaded her fingers through his hair. She wouldn't admit it, but she liked to watch him sleep, she liked to watch how animated his face was even in sleep, she liked to watch the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept.

She continued playing in his hair, staring at him for a change, although she knew he wouldn't find it creepy when she did it, he would probably have his ego inflated. She had to admit, she loved it when he stared, although she often scolded him or called him creepy, she loved being the centre of his attention in those ways, she loved knowing that she could steal his attention from almost anything, except Alexis and she didn't mind sharing him in that way and she hoped Alexis didn't either.

He began to stir under her hand, turning on his side. Her hands slipped down to cup his jaw and he nuzzled closer to her, breathing a sigh of content. She smiled and leaned forward, kissing him deeply, waking him up instantly. She felt his hand come up to cup the back of her head and pull her closer. She immediately forgot her intention for the kiss and moved closer to him, throwing a leg over him and straddling him, pressing her chest against his.

She felt a moan rumble through him and smiled and their kiss slowed down, became lazy and sweet and they broke apart, a smile on each of their faces.

"Good morning." He mumbled, holding her tightly to him.

She smiled and placed a butterfly kiss on his nose, "Good morning."

She pushed up from him, bracing herself with an arm against his chest, "I made you a coffee, I'm hoping it's not too cold now." She said, nodding her head in the direction of the cups on his night table.

"It's okay, I think I'm fully awake now." He said, his voice low and seductive, sending a ripple of arousal through her.

She looked down at him, saw his dark, half lidded eyes staring back up at her, felt his hands tightening around his waist. She grinned, as she felt his body react to her and she leaned down again, stopping inches from his face, letting her breath ghost across his lips as he closed his eyes in anticipation.

"Yea?" She breathed.

"Definitely." He answered, his eyes still closed.

She moved over his cheek, placing gentle kisses there, moving down his jaw and to his neck, fuelled by her own and his arousal pressing against her stomach.

She leaned back when she knew she had turned him into an incoherent mess and grinned down at him.

"Why'd you stop?" He asked, his eyes flashing open.

"Because, we have to go." She told him, trying to control her own desire for him and easing off of him.

She sat on the edge by him, grabbing her cup of coffee and taking a sip, pleased to find it still hot. She was ignoring the way Castle was now sitting up, the sheet creating a tent by his lower regions, gaping at her.

"Coffee?" She smiled and offered his cup to him.

"Tease." He mumbled as he took the cup from her, "Where do we have to go anyway?"

Now it was her turn to gape at him, "Seriously?"

He looked at her and immediately went through the dates in his head, making sure he hadn't forgotten a birthday or worse an anniversary and he hadn't.

"What?"

She stared at him again until he flinched.

"Kate glaring at me isn't going to help, what am I forgetting?" He asked her.

"We're supposed to pick out venues today." She said sounding a bit disappointed.

Oh. Right, their first time doing anything wedding related and he completely forgot, she had been talking about this for the past week and he forgot.

"You forgot." She said quietly, staring down into her coffee.

"No, no, no, honey, I didn't forget, it just momentarily slipped my mind, you have to understand, with what you did to me last night, I wouldn't be surprised if I forgot my own name." He placed the cup down and reached for her.

She perked up at the mention of last night, she remembered very well what she did to him last night. How she had him moaning and writhing under her, screaming her name and begging her for more. Last night was her night to have her way with him and have her way she did, she probably really couldn't blame him.

"Okay, you're forgiven." She said, smiling up at him.

"Good," He said reaching for his cup, taking a long sip from him, "I might need another one of these if you're not going to wake me up."

She smirked, "Really Castle? Five times wasn't enough for you?"

His face became serious then, "Not when it comes to you."

She felt her heart speed up and the heat rushing down between her legs as he stared at her, with those intense blue eyes of his. She glanced over at the clock, she had been up early after all, they did have a little time.

"Come take a shower with me." She suggested, her voice low and smoky.

His eyes widening when he understood what she wanted and then he was stumbling out of bed, in all his glory. She sat back and crossed her legs as she watched him race into the bathroom without her. She bit her lip to keep back the laugh that bubbled up in her when he poked his head out.

"You coming Beckett?" He winked.

"That's my line." She laughed, standing up, letting his shirt fall from her shoulders as she strode over to him.

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Half hour later, they stumbled out of the bathroom, trying to pull on their clothes before they got drawn into another round. The shower had gone on longer than they had intended, but it was also more incredible than any of their rounds during the night and she couldn't help but want more and more she took.

"You ready?" She asked as she applied her final touch of make-up.

"Yea, let me just – "He came up behind her, spinning her around, pressing her against the counter and pressing a kiss to her lips.

"To hold me over until later." He winked at her slightly confused expression.

She laughed and put away her make-up, stepping away from him, if she didn't, they probably wouldn't leave the loft again.

"Come on, we're late." She said, grabbing her phone as he trailed behind.

"Can't wait to become Mrs. Kate Castle can you?" He teased.

She spun around, hand on her hip, a smirk on her face.

"No. I can't wait for you to become Mr. Richard Beckett."

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**End A/N: So tempting to go on tumblr, BUT I MUST REMAIN SPOILER FREE (Apart from the sneak peaks) BUT I MUST! AAAHHH!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Chapter 8

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**Chapter 8: Fairy tales **

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He knew she wouldn't admit to it, but he was watching her and he knew her. It started off with a cough, that made way to another and then another. She had brushed it off of course and he let her, he knew it wasn't enough to persuade her anyways. Then she started to sneeze, in between the coughing episodes she managed to control until she was alone with him or Lanie who had raised an eyebrow in his direction, to which he replied with a shrug.

She was fine she said. Of course, what else would she ever say?

But he was just waiting until she couldn't deny it anymore, he just watched her.

Next came the stuffy nose, he knew she hated a stuffy nose most of all, but today she wasn't giving in.

He sat faithfully by her desk as she stared at the murder board in frustration, her fingers pressed against her temple, massaging it in that way that told him she was getting a migraine.

He stood and placed his hand gently on her hip, standing in front of her blocking her view from the murder board. Her eyes moved to him and he knew for sure she was sick. Her eyes were dull, watery and blood shot and he was taking her home.

Right as he was about to speak, she pushed him away and doubled over in fit of sneezes. Wordlessly, he reached into his jacket for his handkerchief and handed it to her, staying by her side. He turned to Ryan and Esposito who were now staring at Beckett in concern and throwing a questioning glance in Castle direction. He held up a hand in their direction and turned back to Kate, waiting for her to come back to herself.

She sat up and stared at him, her nose was red and she kept drawing it up. Her eyes were even more bloodshot and watery, her lips were parted and she looked absolutely sick.

"Castle – "She started, her voice even sounded muffled and scratchy.

He shook his head, "Come on, you're sick, we're going home."

She weakly protested, "Castle, I have a murder to solve."

He turned to the board that had barely got any new leads in the last day, it would do no good to have her here working this dead end case when she looked like she was about to drop down.

"Kate, it's late, you're sick, this case isn't going anywhere and Ryan and Esposito are more than capable to take care of it okay? You need to rest." He told her, taking her hands into his, noticing how they were warmer than they should be.

She looked over to Ryan and Esposito, who were nodding to her in agreement with Castle, then back to Castle and then she stood.

Castle had to hold on to her as she began swaying on her feet.

"Okay, I feel terrible." She admitted.

"I know." He answered leading her to the elevator, keeping a steadying hand on her waist.

He nodded to the other detectives as the elevator doors closed and then she was coughing again. She tried to push him away, but he just held on to her, keeping her upright as she coughed out her life.

"Castle, I don't want - *cough* you to get *cough* sick too." She managed.

"Don't worry about it." He said quietly, smoothing her hair out of her face.

He got her into her car and quickly drove to a small diner around the corner and ordered some soup for her. His loft was inhabited with some of Martha's acting students for the night and he didn't imagine Kate would get a good night's rest with Martha's dramatic antics happening while she tried to sleep, so he was going to her loft and didn't know if she had ingredients for soup.

He collected the soup, went back to the car and drove to Kate's loft. She managed to get up to her apartment before falling onto her couch. Castle shared the soup into a bowl and joined her on the couch, slowly spooning the soup into her mouth in between coughs.

She didn't get sick often, but when she did it was terrible for her and as usual she would downplay it and before Castle came into her life, she would show up at work still. But now, he was there to force her to slow down, take a break and get better and she had learned to not argue with him when he was trying to take care of her.

When she managed to finish more than half the bowl, he moved to get something for that cough, but first, he stopped and placed a palm over her forehead.

"Kate, you're burning up." He said, his hand sliding down to her cheek.

"Mmmm…" She mumbled, leaning into his hand.

He sighed, "I'm gonna go get something for that cough … and the thermometer."

She groaned and fell sideways onto the couch, closing her eyes.

Everything hurt. She had felt it from this morning, but she had hoped it would just pass. She knew he would pick up on it soon and even more so when it didn't go away but just got worse. She knew to not fight him on this when he suggested she go home, she didn't want to, she felt horrible and she just wanted to bury herself in her bed with him by her side of course.

Right as she was falling asleep she heard him return and opened her eyes.

"Open." He said, placing the thermometer in front of her.

She obeyed. She opened her mouth and he placed the instrument under her tongue and she shut her mouth, holding it in place until it beeped. He pulled it out and read the reading.

"105." He said.

She groaned again and shut her eyes. She hated being sick.

He gave her the medicine for her cough and carried her to the bathroom, despite her weak, half attempts at a protest. He stripped both of them of their clothes and stood her under the shower and turned on the cold water.

Her eyes flew open and she stepped back into him.

"Are you trying to turn me into a popsicle?" She asked him as the cold water came spraying out of the shower.

He gently pushed her back under it, "Cold water helps fevers. You'll feel much better after I promise." He told her, reaching for her body wash.

She glared at him, the best that she could while she was feeling terrible and stood under the cold water, while he squirted the body wash on her washcloth and proceeded to bathe her.

She had to admit, the cold water took some of the edge off. She still felt stuffy and her head still felt heavy, but she felt just a bit better, less uncomfortable.

He finished bathing her and washing her hair and reached for a large fluffy towel, wrapping her into it and gently towelling her dry.

As much as she despised being sick and still had her issues with being taken care of, with him it wasn't so bad. She knew he was only looking out for her because he loved her, so she let him and she let herself enjoy it, although, she still hated being sick.

She sat on the bed as he pulled a large shirt over her head after pulling on her underwear. He was right, she did feel much better and now her eyelids were getting heavy, as were all of her limbs. She let him ease her back into the bed and pull the covers over her, and then he went to turn up her AC, knowing a cooler temperature made her feel better whenever she had a fever.

She felt him climb in the bed behind her, but she was out before she could register anything. Her eyes refused to stay open and she gave into to sleep.

He lay on his side, watching her breathing even out. He was just glad she let him get her home and into bed. However, he wasn't quite ready to sleep, he had ideas for his next book running through his head and he needed to get them down. So when he was sure she was asleep, he got out of the bed and found her laptop, opening a document and began typing.

He was so into the words appearing on the screen another two hours later, he hadn't heard her wake up or call for him. She wrapped herself in the sheet and went in search of him, she found him focused on her laptop screen, totally oblivious to her presence.

She stood in the doorway for a while, just watching him, until she started to feel dizzy, then she called out to him.

He jumped slightly and turned to her, quickly saving his document and coming over to her.

"What is it? Are you alright?" He asked, checking her temperature.

She was still hot, but not as hot as before and her eyes weren't as red, which was a good sign.

She shrugged, "Can't sleep."

"How long have you been up?" He asked.

She pushed off of the doorway and leaned into him, resting her head against his chest.

"Half hour?" She spoke into his chest, "I can't sleep." She said again.

"So what do you wanna do?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"Let's watch a movie." She said, leaning back to look at him.

"What now?" He asked.

"Why not?"

He looked at her for a moment before shrugging, "Alright, which one?"

She smiled shyly and bit her lip, looking up at him.

His face fell, "Really Kate? Again?"

"It's a good movie!" She laughed as he led her over to the couch.

She sat and folded her legs under her as he went to set up the movie, he didn't have to do much, it was already in the DVD player. She had forced him to watch this movie a million and one times, but she loved it, she couldn't resist.

He loaded the movie and came to sit with her, wrapped her in his arms so that she was sitting half on him, half on the couch, with her head resting against his shoulder.

They made it halfway through the movie before the screen turned blue. She sat up, staring at the screen and back at Castle.

"Did you do that?" She asked.

He shook his head, looking just as confused as she did, "No."

He stood and went over to the DVD.

"Yea, it died." He said turning to her.

"What?" She got up and walked over to where he was.

He pressed a bunch of buttons, flipped a bunch of switches, plugged it in and out, as one did when something stopped working, but nothing happened, the screen remained blue.

"It's dead." He announced.

Her face fell, "But it was just about to get to the best part."

He smiled and pulled her against him, kissing her forehead, "I'll get you a new one, one with so many features."

She whacked his chest and rolled her eyes, "Just as well, I think I should go back to bed, this headache is getting worse." She said, rubbing her temple.

Castle nodded, quickly shutting off the TV and following her back to her room.

"And this time, no leaving okay?" She told him as she fell back into bed.

He crawled in behind her, wrapping an arm around her still hot body, "Okay."

She settled against him, letting to cool sheets and the comfort of his body relax her.

"How you feeling?" He asked quietly.

"Terrible." She mumbled.

Her head was pounding, her nose was stuffy and her throat was dry and scratchy, but she felt better than before. Now wrapped up with Castle in the cool sheets, she felt less miserable.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips, smiling as she tried to wiggle closer to him. He broke away and kissed her forehead.

"Sleep." He told her, "I'll be here in the morning."

She rested her head on his chest, placing a small kiss there before closing her eyes and falling asleep once again.

* * *

**End A/N: Whenever I get sick, my mom makes me bathe in cold water and changes my sheets everytime and it really does make me feel better.**

**Sorry for any errors.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Chapter 9

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**Chapter 9: Family**

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Castle glared to his right at Esposito who had just made him lose his life yet again. Esposito shrugged and turned his attention back to Castle's screen, pushing the buttons on his controller furiously, focused on the screen in front of him.

Castle was brought back into the game and shot off instantly, searching out Esposito, seeking revenge. He came up on a sharp turn, knocking out Ryan.

"Hey!" He exclaimed from Castle's left.

Castle shrugged without looking from the screen, "Sorry man, for the greater good." He muttered.

Ryan waited until his character returned, by this time he was far behind Castle and Esposito and didn't waste time trying to catch up to them, his main goal was to just stay alive, he already lost two lives.

Castle crouched in his seat, eyes flicking all over the screen, ready to use his weapons the minute he spotted Esposito. They were getting closer to the end of the game and so far he had managed to stay alive, they all had one life left and if he could just –

It came from nowhere, the weapon that had Castle blowing up and falling off the bridge to his last death as Esposito triumphantly raced across the finish line, Ryan following a while after.

He couldn't believe it, he thought they were brothers, how could Esposito be so cruel?

He set down his remote and turned to Esposito who had a huge grin on his face. They had been at this for half the day and in each game, Esposito had it out for Castle, killing him every chance he got.

"What the hell man?"

Esposito shrugged, reaching across to fist bump Ryan who also had a smirk on his face.

In a minute of irrational 12 year old rage, Castle grabbed the controller from both their hands and tossed them to the floor, crossing his arms, leaning back in the chair and pouting.

"That's not fair." He mumbled.

"It's not our fault you suck." Ryan shrugged.

"You didn't even win." He retorted.

"But at least I didn't die." He replied with a smirk.

Castle glanced between the two of them and stood with a huff, storming over to the kitchen.

"Kaaaaate." He whined.

"Whaaaat." She replied, not looking up from her book.

"The boys are being mean to me." He pouted.

She looked up at his face and then to the boys who shrugged, "Guys, stop being mean to Castle." She said non-committedly, turning her attention back to her book.

"Kaaaaaate." He poked her in her side.

She closed her book, looked up at him and sighed, "How are they being mean to you?"

"They keep killing me in all the games."

She stared at him, "Seriously Castle?"

"Sorry old man, we should have taken it easy on you, we know your eyesight isn't as good as usual." Esposito spoke from the chair.

Kate laughed, making Castle frown and slump against the counter, "I thought you were on my side."

"I thought I was supposed to keep out of this boy's day?" She replied, covering his hand with her own.

"But not when they're being mean to me, you're supposed to shoot them."

She glared at him.

"Okay maybe not shoot them, maybe just glare at them like that and hey!" He turned to Esposito and Ryan with wide eyes, "I'm not old!"

Ryan nodded, "Whatever you say sir."

He turned back to Kate, "See!"

Kate stood, heading for the fridge, "Oh Castle,"

"Well, we gotta head out." Ryan said as he and Esposito stood and headed for the door.

"See you Monday guys!" Kate called from the fridge, "Tell Jenny I said hi Ryan!"

"Will do, bye!" Ryan called as they let themselves out.

Now Kate was left with a pouty, wounded Castle, slumping against the counter.

"Hey," She said coming over to him. "Are you seriously bothered by the game thing?" She asked, prying his hands from his chest.

His eyes found hers and he released a long sigh, "Not anymore." He smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips, letting himself get lost in her for a moment, before she was pulling away.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, keeping him close, "Because I don't think you're old and I know you could beat them if you really wanted to." She said quietly.

He stared at her for a moment, before a grin spread on his face, "You're right I could, I was just taking it easy on them. I felt sorry for them, 'cause they don't have you to go home to."

"Well, Ryan has Jenny so –"

"Yes, but Esposito has no life, so I had to let him have something." Castle quickly responded.

"That's what I thought." She smiled, kissing him again, playing with the hairs on his neck as he turned them and lifted her onto the counter.

She moaned into his mouth as he bit down on her lip and she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him close, threading her fingers through his hair.

His tongue traced the seam of her lips and she opened them to him, moaning as he plunged inside, his fingers digging into her side.

Her fingers found his shirt and slowly began unbuttoning them, but then he was pulling away and she was protesting.

"Play with me?" He blurted out.

A sly grin appeared on her face, "Why Mister Castle, I'll always play with you." She said in a low, raspy voice.

Castle's eyes widened, "As much as I love the sound of that, I meant the video game."

She pulled away from him, staring at him in disbelief. Seriously, he wanted to stop what they were doing to play video games? Seriously?

He was staring at her with that hopeful look in his eyes, so excited and happy and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't say no to that face.

"Fine."

He grinned and lifted her from the counter, planting a sloppy kiss to her lips, carrying her over to the couch, plopping her down and setting up the game.

He handed her a control and waited for the countdown for the game to start and then they were off. They were silent for a moment, just the sounds of control buttons being pressed furiously as if the pressure made a difference.

"Hey!" She yelled, "You can't do that!"

He smiled, "Welcome to Rainbow Road, the end of relationships."

She raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know you wanted to end this relationship."

He turned his head, eyes wide, "No! No! I don't – That's not what I meant! I never want to end this relationship with you! I love you!" He stammered and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Evil." He muttered, turning his attention back to the game, just as he was hit off the road with a turtle shell.

He looked over at Kate who was grinning, "Love you too."

* * *

**End A/N: If you have never played Mario Kart's Rainbow Road, I am so sorry for you because that was the best thing ever and if you have, then you know just how much it ruins friendships.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Not so much fluff as it is ... Well I don't know what it is … Not angst though.**

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**Chapter 10: Alcohol &amp; Cigarettes **

* * *

It was a night they surely wouldn't remember clearly in the morning, but it was worth every second of it. They had gotten the weekend off after closing a particularly difficult case and decided to spend the rest of Friday evening at The Old Haunt.

They sat in their regular area, a slightly elevated booth that overlooked the room, separated by a red rope, truly Castle style. It was their spot whenever they came, separately or all together and now there they were all huddled into the booth.

Castle ordered the first round of drinks and everyone had immediately finished their drinks and called for a second round, in attempt to get the work day from their minds. Kate sat facing the bar, a cop instinct that no matter what, unlike Esposito and Ryan she could not shake, even for the night. Castle sat by her side, close enough for her to feel his warmth enveloping her and she had begun to wonder if they should stay or if she should tell him to take her home and have her way with him.

Esposito, Ryan and Lanie sat on the other side, their glasses raised in toast, waiting for Kate and Castle, when she looked up at him, she found his eyes trained on her, with that adoring smile on his face and she had to look away quickly before she went through with what she actually wanted to do.

The night got away from them quickly and if it wasn't on the house, they would have probably spent half their salaries on drinks. She laughed at Esposito balanced a shot glass on his head, while Lanie did everything in her power to distract him. Ryan was beside himself with laughter, he was always that drunk, that laughed at everything.

Castle was the clingy drunk, not that she minded. He was pasted onto her right side, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist and she was amazed at the fact that even in his drunken state, he still had such a protective grip on her.

Esposito was the daring drunk, willing to do just about anything you asked, hence the shot glass on his head. To anyone else, apart from the strong smell of alcohol on his breath, you wouldn't be able to tell he was drunk at all.

Lanie was a mixture, she would laugh, she was daring – but then again when wasn't she? The tiny bit of a filter she had went completely out the door and it shouldn't have surprised Kate as much as it did when she asked them randomly how many times they did it in the past week, with such a serious expression on her face.

Kate herself could be any one of those on any given time, but tonight, she was the clingy, quiet one, watching her friends, appreciating the fragile thing called life. She was content to feel the alcohol coursing through her, taking away the tension from the week, leaving the pleasant tingly feeling, content to lean heavily against Castle, his thumb tracing patterns over her hip bone, pressing his lips against her forehead every now and then as they watched their friends have fun.

Somewhere along the night, Kate had dragged Castle out of the booth to dance, feeling completely loosened by the alcohol. She had teased him and even surprised the others by slowly unbuttoning her top and sliding it off of her shoulders, laughing at their faces when she revealed the tank top she wore underneath. She let herself get lost in the bass of the music, letting go completely dancing up against Castle in a completely inappropriate way, but right now, she just didn't care, not when the rest of her friends were dancing right beside her, not when Castle's hands never left her hips, not when he was looking at her like _that. _

Another few rounds of drinks and songs and they were back in their booth, laughing over nothing as Castle brought out his cigars that usually Kate absolutely hated, but tonight she threw that to wind and surprised him when she took his and stuck it between her teeth, stealing his lighter and lighting it up. She pulled in a breath and turned to him, blowing the smoke against his slack lips before leaning in a kissing him sloppily.

She didn't pull away until the disgusted sounds of their friends broke through their bubble and she giggled, actually giggled, which made them all laugh as Castle took his cigar from her and placed it in his mouth, taking his own puff as the others did the same.

His hands were warm and heavy against her legs, which her draped across his lap, his two top shirt buttons were undone, thanks to her, so she could run her hands over his smooth chest, until she remembered they had company … and were in public.

She leaned her head back against the seat, just watching him, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, the way his whole body shook, the way his fingers grasped her leg and moved just further up each time. She pulled her chain out from her shirt, and slipped her pinkie through the ring he gave her, feeling an overwhelming sense of love and need and snuggled closer to him, pressing up against his side.

He tore his attention from the trio on the opposite side of the booth and met her eyes, his lips parting slightly, his eyes widening and darkening and then suddenly, they were all outside and he was hailing a taxi and ushering everyone inside, giving the cab driver their friends addresses first and then theirs. It was a long ride, she tried to keep her hands off of him, she really did, but she failed miserably, luckily it was dark and he managed to keep quiet.

The elevator ride was torture, he would have had her up against the wall by now, if not for the elderly lady and child in their company. When the doors opened he grabbed her hand and led her to his door, shoving her up against it instantly and pressing his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. She felt the alcohol course through her veins, tasted it on his tongue and it sent tingles down her spine as he fumbled with the lock, trying to open the door, before anyone came out of their apartments and caught them.

She hiked a leg around his waist, grabbing a fistful of his hair, gripping his shoulder with her other hand she wrapped her other leg around his waist, hoisting herself up on him, earning a throaty moan from him as he finally opened the door and they stumbled through. He quickly kicked the door shut and wasted to time walking to the bedroom immediately, as fast as he could when he was under the influence at least.

He dropped her on the bed and was over her instantly, pulling off her clothes and then his. He came back over her, holding himself up with one hand, his other hand gently cupping her face as she looked up at him with dark, wanting eyes. The look in his eyes was completely different than it had been a few minutes ago, along with the need and lust, the love and adoration shone through in those blue eyes she dreamed about.

"I love you." He whispered, kissing her gently.

"I love you too," She murmured against his lips.

"Do you even know how you were looking at me?" He asked, nuzzling against her neck.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Tonight, at the bar, right before I hailed us all a cab." He told her, pressing a kiss to her jaw, moving down to neck and her chest, smiling against her as she moaned quietly. He placed a hand against her hips to keep her still when she arched up into him.

"You were looking at me, like you wanted to throw me on the table and have your way with me." He growled, kissing his way down her stomach.

Her only response was the drag of her nails against his skin and another arch of her body, too caught up in the sensations to speak.

"Not that I would have minded, but I don't think our friends would have appreciated that." He joked, his tongue coming out to taste her skin and her eyes slammed shut, fisting her hands in his hair.

"Is that what you wanted Kate?" He rasped, holding himself up, waiting until she realized he was gone and opened her eyes.

"Wha – "She managed, grasping wildly for him, but he kept away, smirking, "Yes, just – "

She didn't have to finish the rest of the plea as he was on her again, joining with her sloppily for the rest of the night.

* * *

**End: Krist0526 before you maim me, I promise to write all the M parts when I'm done with this story. I intended to put two verses together for this one, but time ran away from me and now it is to me for me to go watch Dragon Ball Z (Because I am five)**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Chapter 11

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**Chapter 11: You wear white and I'll wear out the words 'I love you' and you're beautiful.**

* * *

The sun was setting as they walked along the shores of their Hampton house, their hands joined, swinging in between their bodies. His jacket over his shoulder, her shoes in her hand, smiles of both of their faces.

The sun was setting, it rested right on the horizon, sharing their bliss for just a few minutes more, before it disappeared and left the sky in a purplish glow, ready to share in the bliss of someone else.

They walked barefoot through the edge of the sand, where the water from the sea came up, wet their feet and receded, sinking their feet into the sand with each step.

They had left everyone at the loft, in the midst of their celebrations, desperate for the time alone, to be with each other without the catcalls and knowing glances.

His thumb traced patterns over her hand and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Her white wedding dress ruffling between them as he left go of her hand to wrap his arm around her. He pulled her to a stop and turned her around in his arms.

The sunset behind him casting a breath taking scene for her, his blue eyes were shining with love and undisguised want, the wind blowing his once perfect hair all over the place. She couldn't help it, she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, she loved his hair, running her fingers through it any chance she got and she knew he loved it too.

He hummed and pulled her closer to him, just simply looking at her, he couldn't get enough of her. He hadn't seen her since the night before, they had decided to be traditional and if it weren't for Lanie, Esposito and Ryan, they would have found each other sometime during the night, they simply were not meant to be apart.

_It was too long, the time before he got to see her, so when the chord of the wedding march sounded, he turned, looking down the aisle, his heart almost beating out of his chest as he waited for her to make her appearance. _

_She stepped out of the house on her father's arm and instantly he couldn't breathe, he was sure he had died and gone to heaven just from seeing her. Her hair was piled up on her head, a few stray tendrils framing her face. Her face, her beautiful, beautiful face, she didn't have on much make up, didn't need it, he preferred her with none. Her eyes were sparkling, framed with less eyeliner and mascara than usual, watching him with glistening eyes. Her smile was huge, so radiant and all toothy – his favourite kind, only ever meant for him – Her cheeks flushed. She bit her lip and glanced down, breaking their eye contact for a moment and then she was looking up again, with a totally different expression, it was an expression of undying, serious, deep, desperate love and he was sure his face mirrored the same. _

_It took forever for her to walk down the make shift aisle and he wanted to do nothing more than run to her and kiss her senseless, that's all he ever wanted to do and that wedding dress wasn't helping the situation, all he could think of was peeling it off of her. It was lace – mostly, sleeveless, flaring at the waist down, it was breath taking and she was so, so beautiful._

_She finally reached him and her father finally handed her over. The official finally began to speak and they finally said their vows. He finally heard the words he had been waiting to hear for a year now, _

"_I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride."_

_He didn't need to be told twice, he reached for her, pulling her flush against him and attaching his lips to hers immediately. As if forgetting they had an audience, her hands tangled in his hair and she tilted her head, kissing his deeply, poking her tongue past his lips and swallowing his soft moan. _

_He wrapped his hands tightly around her back as he registered the sound of applause and he was reluctantly pulling away, sighing, and resting his head against hers, grinning madly. _

_Finally, they were married, against all odds, finally, she was Mrs. Castle._

She had that radiant smile on her face against and he wanted to know what was on that mind of hers right now as the sun set on their perfect day, the wind blowing her hair that she had let out at some point during the reception. Of course it had nothing to do with the amount of times he had tried to run his fingers through it during the countless times he just couldn't help himself from kissing her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He whispered, his voice just above the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

She glanced up at him, wrapped her hands around his neck, "It was worth the wait." She whispered, "All of this. You."

He grinned, leaning down to softly kiss her lips, his fingers playing with the edges of her hair that fell down her back.

"I love you." She whispered against his lips, he just pulled her closer, kissed her deeper, unwilling to let her go.

It almost didn't happen, their wedding, everything started going wrong and she was starting to lose faith. He couldn't let that happen, he had to give her what she wanted, her big day, he wasn't fussy about it, he'd done it twice, he was content marrying her in city hall, but she wanted this, it was her dream even though she wouldn't admit it and he'd be damned if he let anything take that away from her.

But they made it, here they were husband and wife, finally.

"I love you too Kate, so much it hurts." He told her, pulling her into a hug, resting his chin on her head, breathing her in, revelling the moment.

He pulled away from her, smiling widely, he took her hand again and began walking down the shore, farther away from the house.

He stopped again and bent down, picking up a seashell, dropping it into his pocket with the other thousand others he picked up along the way, what he was going to do with all those, she had no idea.

They were far enough away from the house now and they decided they should turn back, they hand snuck out and were sure their company would be wondering where they were by now. When they were close enough, he spun her in his arms, dropping a quick kiss to her lips and then he gathered her up in his arms, amidst her shrieks and laughter, at least she was threatening him with bodily harm.

He walked the rest of the way back to the house, carrying her in his arms until he stepped over the threshold and then set her down. It seemed the party had died down and only their friends and close family remained, watching them with amused looks as he set her down.

He turned to them and shrugged sheepishly as Kate bit her lips and hung her head when her dad gave her a wink. They spent a little more time talking with their friends before disappearing once again for the night, eager to spend their first night together.

They stepped into their room and he shut the door, she felt him come up behind her instantly, his hands on her hips as his lips settled on her neck. She tilted her head to give him more access, but then he was pulling away.

"I have something for you." He said quietly, guiding her over to the full body mirror and pulling something out of his pocket.

He fiddled with it for a moment, before raising his hands over her head and setting the necklace against her neck, his hands disappearing behind her to hook it. He gathered her hair in his hands and pulled it behind her shoulder so she could get a proper view of his gift.

It was the shells he had bene collecting, the small ones. He had arranged them on a piece of string and turned it into a necklace. Her eyes filled with tears as she turned to him, he was smiling softly and she pushed up on her toes press her lips to his, her hand cupping his jaw, letting the tears slip past her eyelids.

God, why was she so emotional?

"Castle –"She choked out when she pulled back.

He smiled and wiped her tears from her cheek with his thumb, "To remember our perfect day." He said quietly.

She looked down at the gift, her hand coming up to trail her fingers over the shells and she wondered how she was so lucky to have him, a man who loved so fiercely and endlessly, what did she ever do to deserve his love?

There was no one better than him, he was everything, she loved him more than she could ever put into words, more than he would ever understand. She loved him so much and it was making her tear up like crazy. He made her a freaking seashell necklace on their wedding day.

The wedding day that almost didn't happen, that took them going through hell to get to this place, but they got him and she loved him and he loved her and she just couldn't think straight when he was looking at her like that.

He was coming closer to her, invading her space and she stopped breathing, anticipating his next move. He ducked his head and attached his lips to her neck, trailing kisses up her jaw and across her collar bone as he slowly zipped her dress down.

This was the best day to end the perfect day, making love to the perfect man after he had just given her the perfect gift.

Perfect. It was perfect.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm back! Starting my updates with this one, because it's the easiest and the last chapter and then I will work my way to the others. **

**Also, it's Jamaica's Emancipation Day! *cue Bob Marley's 'Redemption Song'* **

* * *

It was sunset, she was looking out across the ocean at the sun disappearing just beyond the horizon, leaving the sky in a mixture of orange and purple, it was simply breath taking.

The breeze was light, gathering up her loose hair and whipping it around behind her, her light evening dress flapping around her as she leaned against the railing, hand on her jaw, breathing in the smell of the ocean, feeling completely relaxed.

She heard him before she felt his arms wrap around her waist and she instantly leaned against him, a smile blooming over her lips, a warm feeling settling in her belly. Her hands rested over his hands which rested on her stomach, his thumb stroking gently over the skin covered by thin fabric.

He rested his head on her shoulder, his lips right by her ear, she could feel his warm breath on her neck and couldn't help the slight shiver that shook her body.

He tightened his arms around her and hummed, pressing a warm kiss to the column of her throat, her eyes fluttered closed at the feeling and she couldn't help but feel like she was the luckiest girl in the world, because she was. To have him after all these years of ups and downs and miscommunication, knowing he never stopped loving her, knowing she loved him too and finally admitting to it, marrying him and doing everything she ever wanted to do with him, she most definitely was the luckiest girl in the world.

She turned in his arms and rested her head against his chest, pressing her own kiss there, her arms wrapping around his back, holding onto him tightly, as if after a year, she was still afraid he would disappear.

She closed her eyes and breathed him in, content to just stay wrapped in his arms forever, but then he was slipping away, his arms fell from around her and his body was replaced with something warm, but too soft and she suddenly felt too confined and uncomfortable, she vaguely recognized some rumbling sound in the distance and she opened her eyes.

She squinted around the dark room, lifting her head to figure out where she was, oh right, the bedroom. She had been dreaming, of course.

She rolled over to her side, facing him, she smiled when she found him sprawled out on his belly, a luxury she didn't have anymore, his hair flopped in his face, mouth parted, snoring softly, it was adorable. She reached out and lightly brushed the hair from his face, receiving a grunt in response, she laughed, knowing he was completely dead to the world.

Her thumb brushed over his face, stopping at his lips briefly and then moving up to cup his cheek. She rolled over some more, wanting to get closer to him, to feel his warmth, instead of the uncomfortable heat she was receiving by being covered by their silky sheets.

She was just about to wrap herself around him when her stomach rumbled loudly, her eyes went up to his and found then open wide, staring at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She murmured, continuing in her quest to be wrapped up in him.

Automatically, he raised his arm for her and she burrowed under, snuggling into his chest as far as she could, as his arm came down and wrapped around her.

They fell quiet for a moment, she could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest and was about to drift back into sleep, when her stomach rumbled again, louder this time, startling both of them, from the edged of sleep.

"Sorry," She whispered again.

He leaned back, "Someone's hungry." He commented.

"You fed me before bed," She answered.

He rolled away from her to check the time, "That was four hours ago."

She didn't move, didn't want to leave the warm cocoon he created for her, but he was pushing back gently.

"Come on, I'll fix you something." He said, getting out of bed and coming over to her side, his hand outstretched.

She eyed his hand and looked down at her growing belly, then back up at him, "I guess I would be a bad mother if I didn't give in to the needs of our unborn children." She gave in and took his hand, easing out of bed slowly.

She hadn't been able to get out of bed on her own since the 6th month, usually, her fierce independence would have her stubbornly telling him she could do it on her own and probably spend an embarrassing amount of time trying to get out of bed, but they were married now, he loved her and she knew he wasn't trying to take her independence away from her, he just wanted to make things easier for her and she appreciated it.

He helped her out to the kitchen, sitting her on a stool and then got to work, setting a pot of water on the stove to boil and then began grating the cheese and cutting up the seasonings.

She watched him as he expertly worked, his pants sagging on his waist, his sleep shirt hugging his chest in the way that left little to her imagination.

She felt her stomach growl again and she placed a hand on her belly, rubbing it unconsciously, "Hey guys, daddy's fixing you something okay, just hold on." She said quietly as he poured macaroni into the boiling water and covered it.

He leaned against the counter, resting his chin in his hand, just watching her talking to their unborn children.

He thought back to when she found out. She had gotten up late one night in a panic, she had tried not to wake him by locking herself in the bathroom, but when it came to her, any worry she had would wake him, his need to be with and protect her over powered anything else and so he was up and headed to the bathroom to find her with her hands in her hair, pacing the bathroom floor, a wide, panicked look in her eyes.

He didn't need to ask to know what her panicking was about – she was late – He knew her schedule by now and the realization hit him when she was the look in her eyes. They didn't trust the over the counter tests, so she called up her doctor who was thankfully on the night shift and they headed out, not even bothering to put on decent clothes, he threw a jacket over her and helped her pull on her shoes and ushered her out the door.

She was anxious for the entire ride to the doctor's, but as soon as the news was confirmed, she was in fact pregnant, he felt some of her anxiety melting away, making way for excitement and if the huge smile on her face was any indication, he knew she was excited about this and so was he. He had always wanted kids with her and was willing whenever she was, but he had to know her reaction before he could get all giddy and excited about it and thankfully, he wasn't the only excited one.

She had cried, as soon as the doctor left the room to give them a moment, she collapsed into his arms and cried, if it wasn't for the laughter that shook her body as well, he would have been worried.

They found out she was five weeks pregnant and to make them even more ecstatic, she was five weeks pregnant with twins.

When they had their first ultra sound and heard their heartbeat for the first time, she didn't even wait until the nurse left the room to start crying, neither did Castle.

It had been a long, difficult journey for the both of them, her mood swings, testing their relationship, but their love for each other was stronger than anything else and even though he had to spend a few nights sleeping on his office couch after some stupid fight, or had to receive the cold shoulder or the silent treatment, it was all worth it, because he loved her and she was having his children.

She was due sometime in September, but in carrying twins, she had to be prepared for an early labour and of course complications. They didn't talk about the latter much, not wanting to think about the worst, just hoping for the best and so far there hadn't been any physical complications.

Just looking at her now, he felt tears spring into his eyes, thinking about how far they've come, thinking about how they could almost have never had this, whether it was due to her job, miscommunications, boyfriends or girlfriends that were just not right for them in that moment or various other reasons. He was so thankful now, that he had her, that she had him and they were just about to start another chapter of their lives together and this was just the beginning.

He met her eyes and found her quirking an eyebrow at him, "What?"

She smiled, "Where'd you go?"

He shook his head, coming around the counter, twisting her around in her chair to face him, "Just thinking."

She leaned into him, "About?"

"You." He answered softly, "Us, all that it took to get here. How much I love you and I'm so happy that you decided to give me the chance."

She placed her hand on his chest and looked up at him, her eyes glistening with emotion, "Thank you for waiting."

"I had no choice, my heart already belonged to you from the start." He told her.

She laughed, "I thought being the sappy an emotional one was supposed to be my thing."

He shrugged, "You know I've never stuck to mainstream tradition."

"Yea well, Mr. Mainstream Rebel, your pot is boiling over." She pointed out.

He moved away from her and returned to his food, pouring the water off of the macaroni, adding the seasoning, milk and cheese, mixing it up dramatically, before serving it into two bowls and presenting it to her with a fancy flourish.

She was about to dig in when she paused, fork midway.

"What is it?" He asked, already digging into his bowl of cheesy macaroni.

Wordlessly she got up and waddled over to the fridge, rummaging around until she found what she was looking for. Smiling, she returned to her seat with a bottle of chocolate syrup and a bag of potato chips.

He watched as she crushed the potato chips into the bowl and then squirted the syrup over the top, taking her fork and mixing it around.

Her tongue poked out from between her teeth as she mixed, ignoring his shocked looked, he shouldn't even be shocked at this point, her cravings had never been normal, she had even gave into the s'morelette, but of course adding other things, things he wouldn't dare eat.

She proceeded to shove a forkful of her creation into her mouth, slumping her shoulders and moaning as she chewed, her eyes closed and her mouth formed into a smile.

"You should try it." She told him, scooping up a fork and offering it to him.

He shrugged away, "No, that's okay."

"Come on, please?" She pleaded, holding the fork closer to him.

He eyed the fork and glanced up to her pleading her face that he could never resist, then he opened his mouth reluctantly. She grinned and shoved the fork into his mouth.

He took the concoction into his mouth and chewed slowly, fighting the urge to throw up. He had made a lot of weird things, but this combination just did not sit well with his palate. He rushed to the bin and coughed it up, eyeing her warily as she laughed at him.

"I don't know how you eat that." He groaned, heading to the fridge for something to get the God awful taste out of his mouth.

She just shrugged and went back to her food, stealing some of his before he returned, to find his bowl half empty.

He glared at her, "First you try to make me throw up and now you steal my food? I didn't wake up for this."

She reached over at patted his cheek as he finished his food, "Oh don't be a baby."

He pouted at her, until she eased off of her stool and came over to him, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. She was about to pull away, when he wrapped his arms around her, not letting her go, he pressed his lips to hers desperately, a low sound coming from his throat as he leaned into her.

He let his hand trail up her back and tangle gently in her hair, moving closer to her, her belly keeping him from pressing himself completely against her.

She slowed down after a while, slowly breaking apart to catch her breath. She smiled and rested her head against his chest, while they both caught their breath.

"That – "He spoke up, his voice low and affecting, "That, I wake up for."

She laughed and stood, "Come on," She said, taking his hand.

She left the bowls on the counter and gave him a saucy look, that had him stumbling over his feet, following her immediately

"This, I definitely wake up for." He growled, following behind.

She laughed as he crowded her from behind, kissing her neck as they stumbled back to their bedroom. He kicked the door shut behind him and spent the rest of the night, very much awake, wrapped up in each other, floating in complete bliss.

* * *

**End A/N: This took an embarrassing amount of time to write, because I have the attention span of a peanut. Well, this is the end of this little fic, thank you to those who read, reviewed, favourited and followed, I appreciate you! **


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